Day at the yard
by Nigel Flemming
Summary: The Grand Duke is being pushed away by the King and slowly being replaced by Prudence. Feeling lonely he goes out to visit the old Stable hand, Jonathan. R&R please Xx


**Hey Guys,**

**I always feel as though my favourite characters never have that many fanfiction or stories about them, so I have now made it my mission to make one for each of them. Even if it is a silly 300 word one shot I will make one for each movie I watch and if I develop a favourite character I will make a story for them. I am struggling to keep updating all my stories mainly because I am getting ready for college… fear not all my stories desperately need updated anyway.**

**This story is about the Grand Duke from Cinderella and an OC I quickly made up for this so obviously she is a bit rubbish but bear with me, this may end up as more than a one-shot. **

The palace was dark and dreary as usual, the king didn't like to open the curtains for some reason, not that I would ever dare to ask him and risk losing my head, but anyways I was getting fed up of being stuck in here all day all by myself. The King wasn't even here, he, the prince and princess were all away on holiday. What's worse is that they chose Prudence over me! I was livid! Humiliated! And a little saddend by the fact that I was no longer important enough to the king to go on holiday with him and his family.

I decided to go into the next town over to see what was happening there and perhaps meet up with our old stable hand Jonathan who had ended up buying his own barn and keeping the towns-people horses there for a small fee. I set off on my grey mare Connie early in the morning and arrived at my destination by noon. The town was buzzing with people out at the market buying food for the upcoming week or fabric to sew new garments or even pigs and sheep. I continued through the market, waving to those who waved to me and feeling in a much better mood now that I was out in the sun and surrounded by others. I finally arrived at the stable yard and dismounted, leading Connie inside a large barn, I could see someone working away, brushing a large black horse with four white socks and a blaze running down its face.

Clearing my throat loudly I called to them, "Hello? I am looking for Jonathan" I called loudly, the person stopped and came over, I lifted my monocle to see them better and was surprised to see it was a young woman! No older than 20 years old! "G-Grand Duke! What a pleasant surprise, Jonathan is out in the field bringing in two of the colts, would you care for a cup of tea while you wait? He shouldn't be long" she said in shock while bowing respectably. I couldn't believe that a young woman of her age was working away in a dusty old barn with such big, dangerous animals. Surely she was at great risk of being kicked or bitten or…" Grand Duke? Are you alright sir?" Blinking a few times I composed myself and answered her as politely as possible, "Err, a cup of tea would be lovely thank you, milk and 2 sugars please" Luckily she smiled and walked away, no questions asked.

Looking back up at the large animal about 10 feet away, I could see that it was in fact a he and that he had large, bulky legs, and a rather heavy build to match. Obviously a Draft horse made for heavy duty rather than eventing or even riding. But still a magnificent beast all the same. It was a wonder she could work with such a large horse without being stood on. Soon she came back with a cup of tea and pulled up a chair for me before she walked back over to the horse and put him back in the stable. " So, if you don't mind me asking, what do you need with Johnny?" she asked politely, " I just needed to get out of the castle and Johnny seemed like a good choice to visit, we used to be good friends when he worked at the palace" I said, smiling at her, she was so strange. Not ladylike but not masculine either, she was a strange mix of the two but not an unpleasant person to be around. She gave off a very positive vibe and hadn't stopped smiling since I came in.

She nodded at me then looked up to the door behind me as Johnny came in with two bay horses, most likely the 2 colts she was talking about earlier. "OLIVER! HOW GREAT TO SEE YOU!" Johnny called, he was a large man with a beard and a booming voice (think Brian Blessed) but also very positive and very funny. He scooped me up in a hug and we both started laughing, " Jonathan you foolish man put me down!" I said through my laughter, and as my feet touched the ground I noticed the girl coming back over from putting the two colts away, " AH! I SEE YOU'VE MET MY STABLE GIRL, MELISSA!" he said ushering her over, "ah, yes she has been very helpful. She even brought me some tea" I said smiling brightly now, I felt so much better in their company than I ever did in the kings or even Cinderella's company. "WELL MY GOOD MAN, ARE YOU STAYING FOR DINNER, MELISSA MAKES AN AMAZING BEEF STEW AND CAKE!" this made Melissa laugh as she nodded, "Certainly better than anything you cook" she said while laughing quietly, how could I resist, the royal family wouldn't be back for another 3 days, "I would be honoured" I said with a slight bow of my head.

Now I was really glad that I had come all the way here to visit, Jonathan always knew how to make someone feel welcome.

**OK, so how was that? What? I never said it would be good! I only said that for every film I watch, I will write a silly little one shot for. Some may turn out to be longer though. If you have any requests or any recommended films Please do comment and tell me **

**Keep an eye out for my Tangled Fanfiction ( which is currently being written) It's about the Stabbington brothers and what happened to them in Jail… and maybe even a Treasure Planet one too. **

**Once again if you have any inputs you want to suggest just leave a comment and I will get back to you and give you credit if I use it ( which I probably will) BYEE Xx**


End file.
